Motivation
ENGINE
Every engine needs classic forged parts. These are the crankshaft, the connecting rod and the camshaft. Forged or cast camshafts are increasingly being replaced by assembled camshafts whose cams are individually forged. After 20 years of cast iron shafts being integrated into crankshafts, today forged crankshafts are again increasingly in demand. This is due, above all, to the higher load in the case of diesel engines and to the increasing number of diesel vehicles. In the case of connecting rods, the past few years have seen the conventional forged variety being replaced by cracked ones. These are likewise produced by forging.
New engine technologies and the higher demands placed on strength have led to interesting new parts being added to the classic forged parts. The Hirschvogel Automotive Group has developed an eccentric shaft for the valve train assembly of Valvetronic engines. The component is forged at the Hirschvogel Umformtechnik GmbH from dispersion-hardening steel and then soft-machined, plasma-nitrided and ground at the Hirschvogel Komponenten GmbH, so that it may be delivered to the customer ready-for-assembly. An additional product is an anti-friction balancer shaft which is integrated directly in the engine block. This reduces vibration. The part has an extremely lightweight design and creates a high level of imbalance. As the part exhibits a bearing surface, forged material is required.
